Friday, May 28, 2010

This morning I realized how differently cultures see things. I was teaching a class of 9 year old boys this morning when suddenly one of those crazy large bugs starting coming through my window. I squealed and told the boys that we were going to have stop for a minute while I killed a HUGE ugly bug coming through my window. They were all very excited, and told me that after I did it I needed to show them a picture. No problem. :-/ So they listened to the me using the vacuum for a minute then I showed them a picture of it. They were saying, "Wow, teacher, that is the largest grasshopper we have EVER seen." Then it dawned on them where it was now, and were, "OH NO teacher! You sucked a very delicious meal into your vacuum! This is so sad! So big, it would be delicious. :-(" They were all lamenting over and over that there may be many of these inside my vacuum, and how I missed out on eating them. .....yyyyyyeeee..uuuuk Anyway, it gave the boys some insight too.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Before coming down here I read endlessly on all the RV forums for advice. Something that was discussed indepth was the use of surge/brownout protectors because of the power fluctuations down here. I decided to take the advice of some long-term full-timers and buy a universal surge protector that would take care of the entire unit. Not just because I have lots of computer equipment in here but because I went over and over in my mind what may happen if I was out on a 105 degree day and the power surged. The cheaper units are good but if you are not around to reset them then the power stays off until you get back. I couldn't have that with Harve and Pearl in here - two little pieces of grissle they would be in no time flat in that heat. ANYWAY, today it paid off. The power surged, the entire trailer shutdown - AC unit, everything. Then I held my breath...would this thing actually reset the RV? It did! I was so happy. ....hosing down Harvey and Pearl today, hot hot hot.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

I was able to discover a really cool place last weekend - Kino Bay...so was back today with Harvey and Pearl for more beach walking. Across the bay is an island that I think is fascinating. It is one of the largest ecological preserves for birds. One day maybe I will get to kayak out to it. :-) Driving down to Kino is quite something though. First time last weekend it took me a bit to clue in as to what was going on. It is a nice highway, BUT people were driving on the paved shoulder. Couldn't figure out why until I saw that people were deliberating making another lane for passing. I hadn't seen this before because going down to San Carlos the highway is even wider and there is no need to do this...but I have to say I caught on quickly....basically, watch for someone to speed up behind you, then veer to the shoulder. With so many cars and trucks doing it I was thinking that from a bird's eye view it must look like a checkerboard of cars moving all over the place. :-/

The beach was just fabulous today. Stopped by to check out a RV resort again that I saw on the weekend that has mediterranean style cabanas for each RV - really nice setup. I have to say I do miss the amount of active recreation I had in my life before, and need to get back to it. When I was in Korea I was either out out walking or riding my bike, or walking the canal or the fortress wall. For some people keeping busy that way is not a big thing, but to me I really enjoy it. Doing stuff around the home is nice but I sure do like the outdoors too. Sometimes a person has to be away from something for a bit to know how much they like it. So I just have to get that going in Mexico and it will be perfect. :-)

Harvey and Pearl are doing great these days. It is a tad warm for them I guess which explains why they are both spread eagle on the bathroom floor at the moment trying to cool down. Come 7pm and we will hop outside for a sniff around the park. After running like crazy on the beach today though they won't need much walking.

Well, I found another monster bug in my bathroom this week, and I tell you honestly it was before the meeting on Sunday, and if I hadn't promised to pick my Bible studies up for the meeting I would have just locked the door and waited for it to starve to death...and stayed home. HOWEVER, after 10 minutes of extreme crying outside the door (my normal reaction to finding bugs that look like they live on the dark side of the moon) I prayed to Jehovah and asked him to help me handle the matter so I could get to the meeting....or at the very least grant me composure so that when I saw it again I wouldn't faint. :-/ I opened the door slowly and beat at it with the broom making it fly somewhere that I couldn't see. Now time was running out to get ready for the meeting...so time for another prayer...AND I actually got into the shower and showered knowing there was a bug hiding somewhere in the room. For some people I know this is not a big thing...for me it is MONUMENTAL...with the emphasis on mental. Anyways, maybe it crawled down the toilet or drain but I haven't seen it since...even though I do a complete scan of the bathroom each time I enter it. :-/

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

It is pretty hot here right now - 105 degrees for a few days. I have been monitoring it and we are about 5 degrees hotter than Palm Springs it seems everyday, with about 9% humidity. I don't usually have to watch Harvey and Pearl that close when we are outside right now because instead of running around the park I find them under the trailer keeping their paws off the hot rocks. But yesterday I got outside with a hose and bucket and washed the entire trailer to spiff it up. In a month we will be on the road so I don't want to look dusty going down the road.

Well, reading the news this morning was a good reminder about why I don't want to fly much now. For you non-pet flying families it is not a big thing, but reading about that lost dog was heartbreaking: http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/05/11/wdiv.delta.loses.dog.WDIV

With all my best efforts I even came close with Harvey that time in LAX. You may recall me writing about it. I wouldn't get on the plane until they showed me they had found his carrier and had the cargo manager personally call to say they had put him on. They had found him in the wrong cargo section of LAX. (Always ask for VISUAL confirmation from the cargo manager before getting on the plane, despite the effort it takes to wait to be the last person on). The good part was, when they asked me what they were searching for, I told them to look for a dog kennel decorated like HANSEL AND GRETELS house in the fairytale. They phoned back quickly to say they had found it. Gaudy as it was to look at, it stood out like a sore thumb. Anyway, hope all turns out well for that couple searching for their little guy.

Well, we have the CO visit this week. I am really looking forward to it. Tonight we have the service meeting and special talk and then Thursday the bookstudy and special talk. Usually our meetings are on Friday nights and this is wonderful for me because by the end of the week I don't have to get up so early in the mornings and I can just sleep to catch up. This afternoon I thought I would lay down for a few minutes between studies so I would have extra energy for tonight but I fell into a 1.5 hour coma! When I woke up I realized I was 45 minutes late for a study, but he was still waiting so that is the great part - thank goodness for patient Bible students! :-)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Harvey makes me laugh. He hoards all his toys onto his pillow. And if he sees Pearl and me looking at him and he doesn't have his leash on he will munge them all into his mouth and start running around the park so we can't touch them, and he wants us to chase him...and just for fun we often do. :-) Additionally, he has become quite the park guard dog. Anytime anyone drives into the park, whether they are an RV, or the park owner, Harvey jumps up to huff and puff at them.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

As my title says today, part of the reason I tell all of you all the good things that happen...AND all the bad things is because for any of you that are contemplating living abroad, and wondering if you can do it, after reading my episodes and seeing me face them with all my faults and frailties...surely you will know that you can live anywhere you want to too. :-) ...so today I had a redo of one of my worst fears...the return of KUJO bug. Susan Ellis wrote me and said that she too saw a bug that looked like a cross between a grasshopper, scorpion, and spider, when she was living in Mexico, and that pretty much summed him up. There was lots of screaming, especially when it jumped and I couldn't see it and realized that it was probably on me somewhere so I started ripping my clothes off...the good part was that I had already closed all the blinds for the evening. And then I found him on my pile of clothes so grabbed my handy dandy sandals and squished him flat. During all this Harvey and Pearl were in run and hide mode, but after full of kisses to help me get over the panic part. I am pretty sure he came in the hole for the cable connector so tomrrow I will plug that with goo. When I lived in Korea there were not many bugs at all - probably because of the cold cold winters. Here is another story. The high point is, I think it is harmless...physically...mentally I am momentarily traumatized. However, tomorrow life will be back to normal, work will be good, service will be great, and I will be glad to be here.